COPYRIGHT  STATEMENT 


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proclamations. 


Under  certain  conditions  specified  in  the  law,  libraries  and  archives  are 
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violation  of  the  copyright  law. 


Author: 


B.F.  Goodrich 


The  office  desk 
surroundings 

Place: 


Date: 


[1917] 


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MASTER   NEGATIVE  # 


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Goodrich,  The  B.  P.,  company,  Akron,  Ohio* 

The  office  desk  and  surroundings.  Akron,  Ohio, 

The  B,  F.  Goodrich  company  [01917] 
[ll]  p.  16  on. 


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AVE  you  ever  caught  yourself 
unconsciously  taking  the 
measure  of  a  business  man 
from  the  degree  of  progress- 
iveness  he  shows  in  his 
working  habits?  At  one  extreme  is  the 
man  who  covers  up  his  important  papers, 
forgets  his  engagements,  runs  his  own 
errands,  sharpens  his  pencils,  and  fights 
down  his  interruptions  by  sheer  force. 

For  another,  these  things  seem  to  take 
care  of  themselves.  He  sits  free  and 
easy,  working  carefully,  watching,  de- 
ciding and  doing  things  of  importance. 
No  where  is  it  more  true:  "Know  the 
workman  by  his  tools." 

Efficient  business  men  today  endeavor 
to  produce  the  greatest  amount  of  work 
with  the  least  expenditure  of  effort. 
They  realize  that  in  order  to  be  efficient 
they  must  have  their  office  desks  and 
working  tools  arranged  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  can  be  utilized  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage. 

SCHOOL  01 

BUSINESS 

LIBRARY 


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The  desks  of  many  business  men  re- 
semble junk  heaps  or  remnant  counters. 
They  are  the  dumping  grounds  for  every 
kind  of  commercial  material.  Nothing 
has  a  place  and  the  owner  of  the  desk 
can  find  nothing  he  wants.  In  place  of 
every  crevice  and  corner  being  occupied 
by  things  needed  in  a  day's  routine,  these 
desks  are  loaded  with  material  that 
should  be  filed,  sent  to  where  it  could  be 
put  into  use,  or  destroyed. 

The  result  is  confusion,  and  confusion 
about  a  desk  short-circuits  effective,  de- 
cisive thinking  and  often  causes  mis- 
judgment  and  costly  mistakes. 

Men  who  keep  their  desks  free  from 
unnecessary  or  unused  forms,  files  or 
supplies,  that  is,  keep  the  dead  wood 
cleared  away,  are  able  to  handle  their 
tasks  with  greater  precision  and  ac- 
curacy. Men  who  systematize  their  desk 
material  soon  get  so  they  can  find  certain 
material  automatically  and  with  little  or 
no  expenditure  of  brain  energy.  A  man 
writing  a  letter  with  pen  and  ink  makes 
little  effort  in  finding  his  ink  well  and 
dipping  his  pen.  Keeping  things  where 
the  hands  will  find  them  automatically 
results  in  correct  and  unconscious  habits 
of  work.  This  is  not  possible  among  ac- 
cumulations of  plunder,  in,  on  top,  or 
about  the  desk. 


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Not  long  ago,  250  successful  business 
men  were  questioned  by  a  leading  busi- 
ness magazine  regarding  their  personal 
habits  at  their  desks.  The  investigation 
showed  that  these  men  concentrated  on 
one  thing  at  a  time  and  finished  that  task 
before  going  to  the  next  one.  Their  desks 
were  neatly  arranged  and  free  from  ac- 
cumulations of  odds  and  ends.  Their 
desk  drawers  were  arranged  for  conven- 
ience in  handling  papers,  supplies  and 
necessary  equipment. 

Only  papers,  folders  and  other  material 
regularly  needed  at  the  time  should  be  on 
the  working  surface  of  the  desk.  Only 
papers  and  appliances  regularly  needed 
in  the  day's  work  should  be  in  the  desk. 
Whether  it  is  the  crude  "cracker  box"  of 
the  shipping  clerk  or  the  highly  polished 
mahogany  of  the  executive,  the  appear- 
ance of  the  desk  typifies  and  reflects  the 
man. 

Careful  study  and  discussion  along 
with  time  and  motion  tests  suggest  that 
the  arrangement  of  the  material  in  the 
desk,  somewhat  after  the  following  would 
help  us  in  the  execution  of  our  work. 

In  the  front  of  the  center  drawer,  a 
small  compartment  should  be?  layed  off 
by  a  division  board.  Here  pens,  clips, 
bands,  etc.,  should  be  placed,  preferably 


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in  small  glass  containers  that  are  fur- 
nished. Penholders,  pencils,  erasers  and 
a  ruler  can  be  placed  loose  in  this  com- 
partment. With  this  arrangement  it  is 
possible  to  keep  the  center  desk  drawer 
open  about  two  inches  all  the  time  and 
without  reaching  or  shifting  the  chair  or 
your  position  you  can  have  the  necessary 
supplies  ready  for  use.  It  is  not  recom- 
mended that  you  keep  personal  matter  in 
your  desk  but  in  case  you  do,  it  should 
be  placed  towards  the  back  of  this  middle 
drawer.  Large,  flat  record  books  should 
be  kept  in  the  back  of  this  drawer  also 
if  they  must  be  kept  in  the  desk. 

The  right-hand  top  drawer  is  perhaps 
the  most  used.  Therefore,  the  things 
most  needed  in  the  day's  work  should  be 
kept  there.  These  things  used  especially 
by  the  right  hand,  such  as  rubber  stamps, 
ink  pads,  paste,  etc.  Of  course,  if  these 
things  are  used  constantly  all  day,  they 
should  be  put  on  the  top  of  the  desk.  In 
other  words,  the  tools  in  constant  use 
should  be  arranged  for  the  greatest  con- 
venience,  consistent  with  the  bluest 
desk  efficiency. 

The  upper  left-hand  drawer  is  prefer- 
ably for  blanks,  forms  and  supplies  that 
are  in  daily  use.  If  a  small  "Tickler" 
file  or  daily  reminder  is  used,  it  should 
be  placed  in  this  drawer. 


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The  lower  right-hand  drawer  is  usually 
a  file  drawer  and  contains  only  material 
pending  completion  or  pertaining  to  the 
department.  This  file  space  should  not 
be  a  storage  place  for  general  file  folders 
but  rather  for  reference  information,  re- 
ports, correspondence,  follow-up  data, 
work  in  process,  etc. 

Four  folders  or  pockets  may  be  made 
up  for  this  file  and  used  to  advantage  if 
properly  filed  in  labeled  manila  folders 
or  paperoid  pockets,  either  correspond- 
ence or  cap  size,  any  of  which  may  be 
secured  from  stock. 

For  example: — 

1.  Material  to  be  dictated. 

2.  Questions  to  be  taken  up  with 
Dep't.  Heads. 

3.  Cases    needing    immediate    con- 
sideration. 

4.  Follow-up  material. 

Be  sure  that  in  all  cases  this  arrange- 
ment is  just  as  simple  as  requirements 
will  permit. 

In  the  back  of  this  drawer,  cleaning 
and  dusting  cloths,  oil  cans,  typewriter 
tools  and  towels  can  be  stored.  They  are 
then  never  buried  and  easily  available 
when  wanted. 


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The  two  lower  left-hand  drawers  are 
most  convenient  for  keeping  those  things 
that  are  not  used  constantly  but  often 
needed  in  the  day's  routine.  Text  and 
reference  books,  sales  manuals,  tele- 
phone directory,  in  fact,  all  things  that 
are  not  used  often  but  really  needed  for 
the  execution  of  certain  duties,  should  be 
placed  in  these  two  drawers. 

On  the  top  of  most  business  desks  are 
two  highly  important  pieces  of  equip- 
ment; the  telephone  and  mail  trays.     A 
pad  should  be  always  near  at  hand  so 
that    notations    regarding   messages    re- 
ceived over  the  telephone  can  be  made. 
It  is  usually  unnecessary  to  have  more 
than  two  trays  on  any  desk.    More  than 
two  hampers  efficient  messenger  service. 
Route  incoming  and  outgoing  material  in 
the  standardized  directions — from  left  to 
right— the  "in"  tray  should  be  to  your 
left  and  the  "out"  tray  to  your  right. 
Push  buttons  should  be  placed  so  that 
they  can  be  reached  without  moving  any 
part  of  the  body  except  the  arm. 

On  leaving  the  office  at  night  the  top  of 
all  desks  should  be  cleared  of  everything 
except  the  telephone  and  desk  trays. 
Effective  janitor  service  is  necessary  in 
an  office  building  as  large  as  ours  and  the 
clerical  force  must  co-operate  by  placing 


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articles  where  they  will  not  accumulate 
dust  or  create  confusion.  If  desks  are 
cleared  of  papers,  correspondence,  sta- 
tionery forms,  price  or  bulletin  books, 
etc.,  before  leaving  at  night,  janitors  are 
going  to  be  able  to  work  in  a  more  effi- 
cient manner.  Your  office  is  going  to 
greet  you  more  pleasantly  the  next  morn- 
ing too,  because  there  is  nothing  so  dis- 
tressing the  first  thing  each  day  as  a  desk 
surface  piled  high  with  dusty  confusion. 

The  manner  in  which  you  keep  your 
office  surroundings  reflects  your  methods 
of  working.  You  may  arrange  your  desk 
so  that  it  will  be  most  serviceable  to  you, 
but  if  you  allow  an  accumulation  of 
forms,  stationery,  index  cards,  library 
magazines,  etc.,  to  lie  around  in  and  on 
cabinets,  you  are  pulling  against  the 
power  that  makes  for  better  office  work. 

An  office  is  not  a  place  for  an  accumu- 
lation of  everything;  where  papers  are 
lost,  data  mislaid,  records  buried  and 
every  nook  and  corner  is  crammed  with 
plunder;  where  it  doesn't  matter  whether 
you  hit  or  miss  the  waste-paper  basket; 
where,  when  the  plunder  in  the  corners 
is  disturbed,  a  cloud  of  dust  arises  to 
meet  the  investigator  and  pollutes  the  air 
other  workers  must  breathe.  Where  a 
part  of  each  day  is  wasted  in  weary 


"1 


search  for  needed  matter.  Where  con- 
fusion prevails  not  only  in  appearances 
but  as  well  in  plans  and  methods.  Such 
a  place  does  not  deserve  the  name  "Of- 
flce'*  and  those  who  persist  in  contribut- 
ing to  such  conditions  do  not  deserve  a 
place  in  a  real  office. 

All  weaknesses  that  retard  the  flow 
of  office  routine  should  be  overcome.  In- 
ter-office and  departmental  detail  must 
be  done  automatically  and  with  a  simple 
system.  Effective  thinking  is  smothered 
and  efficient  execution  of  duties  are 
hampered  by  confused  office  surround- 
ings. 

Visitors  often  gain  their  impressions 
of  you  and  our  Company  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  your  desk  and  our  offices. 
None  of  us  would  wear  a  soiled  collar  to 
work;  why  live  in  an  office  that  im- 
presses the  visitor  as  needing  a  thorough 
renovating? 

It  is  difficult  to  make  any  set  of  rules 
for  placing  desk  material  properly.  The 
man  at  his  particular  desk  should  know 
better  than  anyone  else  what  things  he 
needs  the  most  and  where  they  are  ob- 
tained quickly  and  easily.  Desk  effici- 
ency is  not  a  fad,  it  is  a  living  factor  for 
success  for  all  business  men. 


4 


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The  man  wha  achieves  the  greatest  suc- 
cess is  the  man  who  uses  to  the  best  advan- 
tage each  sixty  minutes  of  every,  hour. 

Time  economizing  is  more  important 
than  money  economizing.  The  right  use 
of  time  is  the  price  of  every  earthly  ac- 
complishment. 

Business  men  can  borrow  a  million  in 
money  but  they  cannot  beg,  borrow,  steal 
or  create  a  minute. 

Everything  possible  should  be  done  by 
the  business  man  to  do  the  most  in  the 
least  time.  Arrange  your  desk  materials. 
Have  all  things  near  at  hand  and  in  a  place 
where  they  are  easily  available. 

Desk  efficiency  disciplines.  Desk  in- 
efficiency  undermines  ability  and  success. 


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